Liverpool seem to have been dealt a monumental blow to their hopes of appointing Xabi Alonso as Jurgen Klopp’s successor after the Spaniard reportedly opened talks with his next potential club.
Alonso is currently one of the most in-demand managers in European football after guiding Bayer Leverkusen to what could be their first-ever Bundesliga title, assuming they do not blow the huge lead they currently have over perennial champions Bayern Munich.
Leverkusen’s incredible success so far this season has already led to Bayern announcing that Thomas Tuchel will move on at the end of the season, which then thew an immediate spanner into the works of Liverpool‘s hopes of bringing their former midfielder back to Anfield to replace Klopp.
Despite that, it was still thought that the Merseyside outfit were firm favourites to lure Alonso back to the Premier League. However, those hopes now look like they have gone out of the window.
Reports from Sky Germany state that Alonso is now in discussions with Bayern over a move to Bavaria this summer.
Alonso has been highlighted by Bayern as the club’s preferred candidate to replace Tuchel, who has watched his side slump to 10-point deficit behind a rampant Leverkusen team.
Indeed, Alonso’s men look set to end Bayern’s 12-year stranglehold on the German top-flight title and secure a first Bundesliga crown in the process.
And Klopp himself has clearly been impressed with what Alonso has achieved in such a short space of time at Leverkusen.
He recently said: “Xabi is doing an incredible job.
“The ‘dinosaurs’ like Ancelotti, Mourinho, Guardiola and myself will not do it for 20 more years but the next generation is already there. I would say Xabi is stand-out in that department.
“He was a world-class player, like a coach already, and the team he has set up is exceptional. Not only the points tally but the way they play.”
As well as starring as a player at Liverpool, Alonso was also a firm favourite at Bayern after signing from Real Madrid and is already said to have given ‘positive signals’ that he would be keen on joining the club in the summer.
However, his exit is expected to cost Munich between £13m and £21m due to a fixed clause in his contract at Leverkusen.
Alonso’s existing deal at the league leaders currently runs until the summer of 2026.
If he does make the move across Germany, Liverpool will be forced to look at alternative options – which include the likes of Ruben Amorim, Julian Nagelsmann, Roberto De Zerbi and Ange Postecoglou.
However, it appears that the latter has already ruled himself out of the running after committing himself to Tottenham in the long-term.
Klopp, meanwhile, will be hoping to go out with a bang as he looks to record a remarkable treble this season.
Liverpool remain a point clear of Manchester City in the race for the Premier League title having already won the Carabao Cup, while they face Manchester United in the FA Cup quarter-finals and Sparta Prague in the last-16 of the Europa League.
Klopp’s men are back in action on Thursday night when they take on Sparta in Europe before a huge showdown with City in the Premier League on Sunday.
